Under the fur
by la-perla's mermaid
Summary: I don't care how rich or powerful you are. If you mess with my partner I will not stop until you pay the price.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I'm not making any money out of this. Please don't sue I'm broke ;)

….

Under the Fur:

She sighed in defeat even before she crossed the threshold of the door leading to her minuscule apartment; once inside she tossed the keys in the nearby table and threw herself at the lumpy creaky mattress she had uncomfortably slept in for almost two years.

Judy had had bad dates before, in fact none of her dates had actually been good, but they had never been as bad at this. Her torn burgundy cocktail dress she bought for that particular occasion barely clung to her figure anymore; her feet were bleeding from running the ten miles that separated her apartment from the dark alley her date had taken her to.

She lay on her stomach placing her nuzzle on the pillow, hoping it would muffle her scream of rage and hurt. She should have known better, she should have known it was too good to be true.

At first glance Julien Lapin, the district attorney of Zootopia, seemed like a perfect fit for Judy. Like her, he was a bunny that succeeded in a field dominated mainly by large imposing mammals and he was also known for his determination and his impeccable work record. The young rabbit was attractive as well, with flawlessly white long fur that brought up his red eyes. He was one of the most popular bachelors in Zootopia.

So when he asked her out after working together along with Nick in a murder case, the young wide eyed doe blushed and nodded happily. He had in her eyes been a hero, bravely prosecuting even the most powerful fearsome criminals and never losing a single case. Judy saw him as an inspirational figure leading the battle against crime in order to make the world better, that is, until she actually got to know him.

He had taken her to a fancy restaurant in the middle of Downtown Savanna and at first acted like the gentlemammal everyone expected him to be, but little by little her instincts told Judy there was something wrong with him. He said the right things in the right way, like how much he admired her courage and work ethics and such, but after spending two years studying people's reactions and analyzing their behavior (something her former conmammal friend and partner had taught her to do) she could tell he was not being honest " _Never trust a mammal that smiles with his mouth but not his eyes_ " Nick had told her several times. At first it was his smooth talking what had attracted her, it reminded Judy of her partner. But while the fox used his sly smile to hide himself from a world that had done nothing but beat him down Julien's smirk seemed to hide an inner malice behind his adorable features.

So when the date ended and he casually invited her to his apartment for "coffee" she truthfully told him she had to work the next day.

-"Is something wrong?"- Julien said suspicious

-"No of course not, I had a wonderful time with you but I really need to get up early tomorrow"- Judy said with a very convincing smile, hiding the fact that something in the rabbits red eyes was beginning to make her cringe.

-"Very well then"- He gave her his most charming smile while opening the door to his brand new sports car–"Let me take you to your place"-

The police trained part of her brain told her it was better not to get inside a closed space with a rabbit she didn't quite trust, but the more social and insecure part of her brain told her he would be offended if she refused, and technically speaking he hadn't said or done anything to warrant such a rude response from her. So she nodded and got into the car with him.

Twenty minutes later she regretted that decision.

The rabbit drove her to an elegant yet deserted part of Savanna Central near the main square; Judy's suspicions weren't arisen in time because technically it was on the way to her condo. Then without warning he killed the engine and threw himself at her. Knowing she would resist he threw a strong fast blow to the side of her head hoping to knock her out.

It did not have the desired effect though, she was dazed for a few seconds but recovered fast and braced herself for the incoming attack.

Judy could still hear his awful words as he ripped open her dress and tried to paw his way into her underwear.

-"Who the hell do you think you are? Blowing me off like that?"- His voice went from the soft velvet of a smooth talker to a deep growling of seething rage –"You carrot farmer country hoes are all the same! You act as if you were special and we males are supposed to bend over heels at your whim!"- She could still hear the sound of ripping fabric as he spoke –"But let me tell you sweetheart… females like you are a dime a dozen. So do what you were made to do and maybe I'll go easy on ya."-

An hour later Judy was far away from him, safe from his red eyes and his invasive paws but Julien's voice was etched in her skull and refused to go away.

The words, his leer, they all stung inside Judy's head as she cried in her bed, she didn't know how long she stayed that way until loud banging in the wall behind her brought her out of her awful memory.

-"Quit with the whining bunny we´re trying to sleep in here!"- The loud annoying voice of her neighbor, Bucky, resonated through the paper thin walls of her modest condo.

His roommate Pronk, answered

-"Leave her alone. Can't you see she had another awful date?"-

-"Yeah but she usually doesn't end up crying like this, she just talks to her friends or family"- Bucky retorted even louder.

Meanwhile Judy kept crying, bad enough was that someone had tried to violate her, now her asshole neighbors were violating her privacy.

-"Hey bunny"- Pronk now spoke in an almost gentle (for him anyway) tone –"You okay?"-

-"Did your date cross the line there? Did he hurt you?"- Bucky said in a more menacing voice.

Judy was even more terrified of her loud neighbors telling everyone what had happened. It was embarrassing enough to get herself in the situation where Lapin had tried to take advantage of her, much worse would be for her neighbors to shout it out loud for the whole condo to hear. With supreme effort she composed herself to speak without breaking her voice.

-"No, he didn't do anything. He was just a huge jerk"- She said without actually lying. She had been trained by the best in Zootopia when it came to every form of combat, after the initial shock of Julien's attack fade out she managed to punch him several times on his head. To her horror that seemed to enrage the white furred rabbit even further but as he tried to scratch his way below her clothes Judy's hind paws placed themselves next to his stomach and then she threw a kick so hard it would make a mule proud. With her attacker stomped in the now broken windshield she took the opportunity to get the hell away from there as fast as her legs could take her.

The ZPD officer was in fact quite relieved for the fact that he didn't manage to actually rape her for it could have given her a lot more trouble than a bruised ego and a broken heart. Copulation among bunnies usually ends up in pregnancy since they are extremely fertile. Even with contraceptives and hormone suppressants the chance for a female bunny to get pregnant after mating is in the 60 percent.

That is why respectable bunnies, male or female, are told to be virgin until marriage. It was not a puritan custom born out of old outdated rules, it was a necessary measure since once bunnies started mating kits would follow pretty soon after. So long courtships were the norm among her people, something her fox partner called "cute" while laughing at her prudish ways.

That train of thought brought her again towards her partner. _What would Nick think of this?_ He had no qualms in laughing and teasing her when all Judy's dates crashed and burned. -"You know what they say carrots, to find the prince charming you gotta kiss a lot of frogs. Though at this point you might have more luck with those amphibians that with your fellow bucks."- He usually said with his usual lopsided smirk and knowing eyes.

And while the logical part of her brain told her " _Nick wouldn't laugh at you, not this time, he wouldn't be that cruel_ " The little bunny raised in the countryside still carried claw marks on her cheek and feared the snarky wit of the fox's silver tongue. For the time being she resigned to keep quiet about the whole thing until she could figure out what to do.

-"Tomorrow will be another day"- Judy sighed with the last sliver of hope she managed to retain.

Her reveries were interrupted by a loud tapping on her door; she shook in panic at the thought that behind that door Julien could be awaiting ready to continue his assault. Forcing once more the fear into the deepest recesses of her mind, Judy said with all the bravado a little bunny could feign.

-"Who is it?"- Judy said as she took a fighting stance, she was not going without a fight.

-"I got a present for you meter maid, it's an old cure for when your relationships go bust"- Bucky said loudly.

Groaning at the voice of her neighbor se tiredly opened the door and found the greater kudu holding a large bottle of cheap vodka.

-"Remember meter maid, when life gives you lemons just add vodka and ice"- Bucky said with a friendly smile. Judy thought that the four horses of the apocalypse would roam the earth before she could see her crazy neighbor do something kind for her, but then again, this night sure taught her that nothing and no one is as they seem.

With a shy smile she thanked him and glanced at the almost full bottle.

-"Lemons, vodka and ice it is then"- The bunny muttered with a cynical smirk

…..

To Judy's surprise, the awful screeching she heard was not the wailing of a monstrous creature but merely her alarm clock. Her heavy eyelids dragged themselves through her bloodshot eyes as she saw the half empty bottle of vodka in her table.

Her body begged her to stay in bed, to call in sick and sleep the awful hangover away. But her mind had made a plan last night, fuelled and empowered by the alcohol. She became a cop because she wanted to make the world a better place and because she had faith in the law, so the only logical thing to do was to act according to it. She would file a complaint against Julien and trust the legal system to bring justice to her cause, after all she had to take care not only of her dignity but of the other females Lapin could hurt if she stayed quiet.

So she dragged herself to the communal shower and put the temperature as cold as she could take it. The bunny still felt like a discarded piece of trash but at least she was now lucid. She did her best to look presentable and might have pulled it off if it wasn't for the awful swelling and reddening of her eyes, between the crying and the hangover her violet irises were now surrounded with tiny red blood vessels.

She grabbed the aviator sunglasses Nick had given her on her last birthday, they were supposed to be useful for patrolling in Sahara square but she found them perfect for hiding her torn eyes. With a sad sigh she placed them over her swollen face, wondering how long this could fool her coworkers.

Judy got early to the precinct, even more than usual since she chose to skip breakfast. The vodka had turned the bunny's stomach into an acid pit of doom and she feared that anything she put in there could cause a horrible toxic reaction. Tough this time instead of heading to the bullpen she went to the special victims unit to file her complaint and be done with it.

The SVU was separated from the rest of the precinct since they had a very different dynamic than the rest of the police, the officers were required to be professional but also very empathetic, and they had to be experienced as well with a minimum requirement of at least ten years in the force. Small mammals were in fact encouraged to join leaving the fearsome large predators to do work on the streets. Judy had in fact been considered a perfect fit for the unit, as her gentle non threatening presence could help a lot of victims open up about their problems.

She had considered joining them once she had the ten years of experience under her belt but Nick had advised her not to, even when he made clear he would support her decision if she chose to join anyway. _"You wear your heart on your sleeve carrots, and more often than not the cases get to you. The SVU is for kind officers but they also need to put an emotional distance between them and their cases. You are too kind and sweet for that, the horrors you would face on a daily basis in that place would break your spirit within the first year"._ She remember it was one of the rare instances when her partner had dropped his sly fox grin and talked to her without hiding who he was, without a glint of sarcasm or snark. Sadness had crept into her soul again as she wondered if he had spoke out of personal experience, but before she could prove further he had made jokes and dodged the subject placing the mask of nonchalance on himself once more.

A female beaver receptionist greeted her with a gentle smile

-"May I help you officer?"- The small prey said helpful

-"I am here to file a complaint for attempt at sexual abuse"- she said as professionally as she could.

-"Very well officer, is the victim part of any of your cases? May I ask her name?"- The beaver said typing on her computer

-"Judy Hopps ma'am I am the victim"-

The beaver looked at the officer in front of her and noticed the bunny had removed her glasses and looked at her with the most damaged heartbreaking expression she had ever seen. Feigning calmness and keeping her composure she called the chief of the unit.

Ten minutes later she was called into the office of Chief Cassandra Mau, the cat was in charge of the SVU. Judy shook her hand and when the beautiful feline pointed at the chair in front of her desk the bunny took it, she was relieved it was smaller than the ones in chief Bogo's office.

It was refreshing to stare at a small pretty mammal instead at Bogo's towering figure, Chief Mau was a slender creature with rich chocolate colored fur and green eyes. She might be a predator but she was also adorable.

-"Very well officer Hopps, I regret to be informed that you came here to file a claim. Would you mind if I take your statement?"- The cat's eyes were kind and friendly, her voice sweet.

Judy steeled herself as the forced last night's event out of the back of her mind, she told the Chief all she remembered with as much detail as she could, even the part when she got drunk afterwards knowing it might make a denture in her claim but thinking honesty was the only way to make things right.

When Judy was done Chief Mau didn't bother to hide her defeat.

-"Officer Hopps…"-

-"Please call me Judy"-

-"Judy, what you just did is very brave and I give you my word we will do everything in our power to bring mister Lapin to justice"-

" _I sense a but coming"_ The doe thought concerned.

-"But he is a celebrated district attorney and the son of an influential senator here in Zootopia. When this goes to trial, with all the influences he can pull and the gigantic resources both in money as in lawyers I must warn you that the stakes will not pile up on your favor. Both of you are well known by the press and the media circus this trial could cause would be, for lack of better words, carnage. Even if you do win the maximum penalty for attempted rape without severe injury is five years, most defendants don't even go to jail for more than one."-

Judy felt the world crumbling at her feet, she was poor and he was rich and that was enough reason for him to get away with anything he wanted. Her ears dropped and her eyes begun to water again.

-"So that's it? I shut up or he gets to push me around at the court?"-

Mau's paw rested on top of the bunny's

-"No Judy, there is another way. You are not the only one to file a claim against him, and sadly you are in fact the luckiest of them all since all the other bunnies could not fight him off. I in fact suspect there might be more victims who never came forward"-

-"He did the same to others?"- Judy said outraged, anger now replacing her grief.

Then the feline closed the blinds on her office and spoke in a lower voice. Her head hung low in shame and she spoke staring at the linoleum floor seemingly lost in her own thoughts

-"Officer Hopps, if I told you something in strict confidentiality would you promise not to tell anyone?"-

Judy nodded

-"Three years ago a bunny was murdered in a very gruesome way, her name was Natalia Skipter and she was working for the Lapin family. The few traces and evidence did not lead to a single suspect and the case went cold."- The cat's green eyes now turned into angry slits –"I suspect there was heavy tampering at the scene… something someone with big contacts in the law could achieve"-

-"You think Julien did it"- Judy deadpanned

-"We could never find any evidence against him and very soon my superiors ordered me to give more priority to other more "urgent" cases and as a fool, I complied. Now as you may know in the cases of sexual assault the file of the complaint and eventual prosecution depends mostly on the victim, so is her choice to file the complaint but also to drop it if she wants to. All the other bunnies that spoke up against him dropped the complaint in less than 24 hours after filing it and since it was their right to do so our hands were tied."- The cat lifted her gaze towards Judy and spoke in a grumbled scowl –"As of today, Julien Lapin's record is one hundred percent clean, not even a parking ticket"-

-"We can't let him get away with this"- The determined bunny stood up facing the cat.

Chief Mau gave her a lopsided smile –"Here is my plan, I'll personally handle your case and use it as an excuse to open Natalia's as well. He might get a slap on the wrist for attempt of sexual assault but not for murder, and we will keep quiet until I gather all the evidence necessary to convict him without leaving a doubt of his guilt. That way no amount of lawyers and connections will save him. Only when I have irrefutable evidence that he is guilty we'll take the case to the court. In the meantime, I'll need your help with the other victims see if you can convince them to come forward once more, he might had bullied them when they were alone and frail but if they are united he won't be able to sweep this under the rug anymore"-

The small bunny raised her chin and nodded solemnly, a wave of determination enveloped her and she told her in a confident tone

-"You can trust me Chief, we will bring him to justice"-

-"I'm glad you feel that way Judy. But there is something I need you to understand, right now our only weapon is the element of surprise and I'm afraid that in this precinct the walls have eyes and ears. You cannot tell anyone about this, not even your partner"-

The bunny shrugged defeated, she had her doubts about telling Nick anyway. Maybe it was best to keep her partner out of this, she knew it was irrational but deep down she felt ashamed at what had happened and feared he might be disappointed at her.

….

Chief Bogo sipped his coffee while looking at the balcony on the fourth floor where his office was, as always he went to work at least an hour early than any other officer. His precinct wasn't the most efficient and successful in all Zootopia because of sheer luck, he ran a tight ship and it was his duty to make sure all things worked like clockwork.

His morning routine was somewhat shaken when he saw Chief Mau crossing the main hall, she seemed to be heading towards the storage unit where cold cases were kept, her posture was rigid and her tail lashed wildly. He wondered why would she go there herself instead of sending an assistant to do it, he was later struck with an educated guess. There was perhaps only one case that would drag Mau from her office, a sour twist formed in his muzzle, Lapin had struck again.

He couldn't help envying her iron integrity, he had heard about Lapin's alleged wrongdoings but he respected his superiors too much to defy them when they told him everything was a lie. He chose to believe those small does that accused the DA where merely trying to get money out of a wealthy and respected family name as his. Mau bowed her head to the pressures of political machinations as well but she was brave and strong enough to recognize that it was wrong to look away and as time passed, she never chose to put her weakness behind her. Bogo knew that one way or another, she would right her wrong. Which was a much more dignified course of action than the one he took, pretending it never happened.

Deep down he knew the DA was guilty; you can only ignore the claims of violated does for so long before it becomes clear that the Lapin family might have more skeletons in its closet than Zootopia's cemetery. The water buffalo had been so wrapped up in his self loathing he didn't notice how long had been observing the graceful way in which the cat walked, her chocolate fur shone with the fluorescent light and no matter how conservative her blue uniform was her sensuality made it look like those heavy blue rags were worth a million dollars.

With a low growl he turned on his heels and locked himself in his office, disgusted at his perverted brain for entertaining such notions for a cat. Lusting for someone of a different species was wrong in every way imaginable. Interspecies relationships were illegal, punishable with at least one year in a mental rehabilitation facility since it was also considered a mental illness. This was especially true in relationships between predators and preys or in species that were very different from each other. Some mammals can get away with it if they are similar enough, like a zebra and a horse, but even they faced a ton of prejudice on a daily basis.

Bogo knew many mammals hid their interspecies fetish on underground (and very illegal) circuits, but it wasn't that he wanted to mate with cats in general, he merely felt affection for Mau and no one else. Banging his hoof over his desk he muttered to himself –"You are NOT a _preddo_ , now get over yourself and get to work"-

…..

Nick Wilde was typing on his phone while sitting in the bullpen; he was surprised Judy wasn't beside him. Usually the perky little bunny came to the precinct much earlier than he did, unless they got together for breakfast at the Snarlbucks crossing the street.

{Hey carrots where are you?} He had typed fifteen minutes ago, and there was no response.

{You okay?} He sent another text, now he was getting worried.

-"Jeez look at Hopps over there"- Delgato said behind him.

Nick turned his head to the main door where Judy had just entered, instead of her usual bouncy gait she was walking like her legs were made of lead and it took so much effort for her to sit in the oversized chair he actually had to help her up.

-"Hey Nick"- She told him with the fakest smile he had ever seen on her, a rare feat since she was usually the eternal optimistic of the duo. She was wearing aviator sunglasses in a lame effort to conceal the fact that her face looked like someone had dragged her through hell and back.

-"Are you all right carrots? What the hell happened to you?"-

-"Ugh I just got a pretty bad hangover, I stayed up late last night drinking with my neighbors"-

-"What? But you don't even like those guys"- Nick couldn't believe his ears. Judy was not interested in drinking and only did it in a few social occasions, mostly out of peer pressure and of all mammals in Zootopia her loud neighbors were the least likely for her to hang out with.

-"Nah, once you get to know them they're alright."- She made a dismissing wave with her hand before putting her front paws at the edge of her desk and laying her forehead on top of them. She was clearly fighting a new wave of nausea. Nick smelled her breath, she wasn't drunk anymore but he detected a bitter, almost poisonous hint coming from her pores.

-"Now if I may ask officer alky what the hell did you drink? Was it gasoline?"- He said outraged, usually he was the irresponsible one and he would never come to work with more alcohol than blood on his veins.

-"Vodka"- She said not lifting her head from the desk.

The fox' eyes widened, he had seen her get tipsy with a single glass of beer even a small gulp of vodka would probably knock her out. Bunnies are not only small but their metabolism doesn't mingle well with alcohol.

-"And how much did you drink?"- He was becoming more concerned about her health with every passing minute.

She lifted her head and looked at the ceiling, her front paws moved her fingers as if she were counting –"Abouuut… 300 milliliters? Mayyybe half a bottle"-

-"What?!"- Nick said incredously, even Delgato and Fangmayer lifted their eyebrows when they heard her.

-"Wow you are not such a lightweight with you booze after all Hopps"- Fangmayer told her with respect, he even gave her a fist bump which she gladly accepted.

The fox did not think it was funny, something was horribly wrong with Judy and he knew it couldn't be just the remnants of the vodka in her system. Her eyes were not only red they were swollen; the dark veneer of her sunglasses could not shield that from his acute sight. Her smile might have fooled the other officers but to him the effort she put in maintaining it was cringe worthy. His observational skills were put into overdrive looking for extra clues, a shiver went down his spine when he noticed tiny almost imperceptible scars and swelling on her front paws consistent with defensive wounds along with more swelling and a blue tinge near her right ear, clear sign of a large bruise at the side of her face barely hidden by her gray fur.

" _Carrots what the hell have you gotten yourself into?"_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chief Bogo entered the bullpen and as always, his presence was enough to shush the lively conversations his officers were having. As each one of his officers quieted he surveyed the situation at hand. Hopps was sticking out like a sore thumb with her wrecked up eyes and ridiculous sunglasses, Wild was sitting beside her and seemed concerned. He didn't know what was wrong with her and usually wouldn't care, but she wasn't the type to take the kind of bad decisions that would leave her messed up and stinking of rotten poison. An awful connection formed in his head, Hopps was a pretty bunny and Lapin had been going back to his old habits.

He hoped Hopps appearance and Mau's visit to the cold case storage were unrelated; he really did, because if not then his complacence with his bosses and inactivity towards Lapin's wrongdoings would be the cause of one of his officer's pain.

-"Very well let's run through the assignments: Delgato, Fangmeyer and Wilde you have to find a missing leopard in Sahara square. Mc Horn you forgot to file your paperwork for that high speed chase in Tundratown so enjoy your parking duty today. Hopps"- He said staring directly at the small bunny, gently he removed her sunglasses and saw she was in a far worse state than expected. –"You have desk duty"- He said almost with kindness.

Before he could continue Wilde raised his hand like an exited cub at school –"Chief Buffalo-butt! Oh sorry I mean Chief Bogo! can I have the parking duty?"-

The water buffalo growled, Wilde was antagonizing him so he would have no choice but to punish the fox with the parking duty. Just to show him he was not an easy to manipulate fool Bogo was about to deny the request, but as he stared directly at the fox with a piercing glance he noticed Wilde stole a furtive glance at Hopps. With a sigh he realized parking duty in downtown would keep him closer to his partner _"Maybe you are not the only interspecies perv in the district"_ he mused with bitterness.

-"Very well Wilde, enjoy your assignment delivering tickets because you will do it for a whole month!"- At the last words Bogo's voice rose and boomed through the entire room.

As expected Wilde merely responded with a cheeky grin and saluted him in mock respect –"I will sir, don't worry I'll make you proud"-

….

-"What was that all about?"- Judy asked her partner

-"I missed the thrill of parking duty"- He shrugged in his usual carefree manner, Judy merely rolled her eyes. He couldn't help noticing she had in fact lost some weight; bunnies have a very demanding metabolism if they don't eat regularly and often they get sick pretty fast.

-"Hey carrots, why don't we go for coffee and some breakfast? There's a nice looking diner a few blocks away"- He casually put his paw around her shoulders and was puzzled when she tensed, he could sniff her distress so he gently withdrew his arm. At the mention of food the bunny reflexively placed her hands on her stomach. –"Are you okay?"- The fox asked not even bothering to conceal his concern anymore.

-"I'm fine Nick"- Her voice showing she was anything but, then she put her glasses on and gave him another fake smile –"It's just the hangover, my stomach probably can't handle food right now. Look I have a very long and boring day ahead and you"- She said putting the stupid bob hat on his head –"Have a lot of parking tickets to give, so I'll have a rain check on that. We'll talk later"- With that the bunny gave him a hasty wave and left towards her cubicle.

Nick shook his head and headed to the joke of a car the police assigned vehicle used for delivering tickets with a somber expression, Judy was not only sick and concerned about something but she was also putting walls around herself to block him from helping her. It's strange because the bunny had always been one of the most open and trusting mammals he had ever met. He did have an advantage against her though; he had been putting walls around himself for years now. Only a handful of those barriers had been torn by the bunny he had been sharing almost all of his time with for the last two years. He knew damn too well how to build those walls and how much effort it took to break them down, he also knew how damaging those walls could be over time, even if at first they promise to protect you.

After the million ways Judy had helped him, giving him a purpose in life, being a shoulder to lean on and a partner to have your back in the most dangerous situations. He owed it to her to help her out, even if she didn't want him to. He hoped the menial job ahead of him would help in thinking a solution to this problem.

…

It was 10:30am and Nick was strolling back into the precinct with his usual relaxed stance and confident smile, a large bag hanging from his right paw. He spotted Judy's cubicle and was relieved the rest of the small offices were empty, all the other agents were on the street at this hour.

-"Hey carrots, did you miss me?"- He said casually sitting on a chair beside her

The bunny looked at her clock and lifted an eyebrow; her smile now was almost genuine.

-"It's only been 2 hours since you left slick. Shouldn't you be giving parking tickets? Unless you want the chief to be even angrier at you"-

-"All the chief wants is for a quota of at least a hundred tickets; I just tapped a hundred and fifty."- He said throwing his hat on her desk and wiggled his eyebrows at her

-"Is that why you wanna do parking duty? So you can fill your quota and have the rest of the day off?"- She shook her head in mild annoyance –"Lazy fox"- she chuckled.

" _All right enough with the ice breaking time to get into subject"_ the fox told himself, heart to heart conversations were NOT his forte. Even when he did have a few serious honest moments and most of them were with Judy she was usually the one who reached the touchy subjects, he reminded himself to be gentle but not give her a chance to wiggle out of it.

-"I just wanted to hang out with my carrots, that's all. Besides I got you a few painkillers and antacids for your hangover, it will make you look more like the cute bunny you are and less like a zombie from a horror B movie"-

-"Thanks Nick, and don't call me cute."- She gulped down several pills and washed them out with some carrot juice the fox had also brought her.

-"As soon as you feel better we'll get something to eat, and maybe then you can tell me what is actually going on"- Nick dropped the sarcastic façade but made an effort to seem as gentle as possible.

Judy shook her head dismissively and formed another fake smile but before she could lie to him he interrupted

-"Nah ah sweetheart, don't try to hustle a hustler. Something is eating you up inside and I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what it is."- His voice was gentle but his eyes were determined.

When she understood her ruse was over her face fell and her expression was so heartbroken Nick couldn't help putting a paw on her shoulder in the hope to bring some comfort.

She couldn't tell him, shame and fear held a grip on her chest and refused to let the words go. She could tolerate Julien's attack or the way the law seemed to be by his side, but she could not tolerate the thought of Nick knowing what had happened and being angry at her. Angry at her foolishness in dating an asshole like Lapin, or getting into his car or not being suspicious enough when he drove her to that empty street. She didn't even realize she was crying until she felt his paw caressing her cheek, her eyes rose to meet his and found nothing but concern and determination. Judy couldn't lie to him; he had always read her like a book so she settled with a half truth.

-"It's about an ongoing investigation. I was advised not to tell anyone about it, not even my partner"-

-"They think I couldn't keep a secret?"-

She nodded

-"Do YOU think I cannot keep a secret?"-

And now she was cornered again, " _Dammit Nick you can pull my strings like I were a puppet_ " She thought frustrated; she had always been the one with her heart on her sleeve while he was an unreadable ball of mystery wrapped in red fur and sarcasm.

-"You know what Nick"- She said with a genuine sense of frustration –"There were so many times when things were bothering you and I asked you what was wrong, to that you always said it was complicated and the least I knew the better. All those times I kept quiet hoping you would open up to me in time. Sometimes you did speak to me but sometimes you didn't. Today I ask you to do the same for me. Please let me have this secret"-

And there was the attack he had feared, Judy had been the mammal he had confided the most and he had in fact opened up to her in ways he hadn't with anyone else, sadly that didn't account for much. He had spent too many years hiding who he really was so opening up to her had been a gigantic struggle. But now that he was on the other side he understood how scary it was to be left out in the dark when someone you care about is suffering, and you feel like there is nothing you can do about it. So now he faced a dilemma, he could let her be and keep his precious guarded secrets or he could emotionally gut himself in front of her and help her out.

Her ears were drooping behind her, her shoulders slumped and her cute large violet eyes filled with tears as her little nose twitched. The epitome of cuteness that could melt even the coldest of hearts was in front of him and all he could do about it was to throw himself at her mercy.

-"You are right carrots it's not fair, so I tell you what we're gonna do. From now on we won't have any secrets. Every time you ask me something I will be a hundred percent honest with you, no matter how ugly the truth is. Starting now"-

His voice was like soft velvet on her ears. Her eyes widened

-"Are you serious?"-

-"like nuclear fallout, in fact I'm gonna let you have the first shot. Ask me anything"- He acted as if the last sentence didn't terrify him.

There was one large doubt Judy had about her partner and nagged her almost on daily basis

-"Tell me about your mom. I mean… you never tell me anything about your family"-

" _Going for the kill aren't you carrots? Very well time to twist the knife and spill my guts out_ " He thought bitterly.

-"My mom raised me by herself, I never met my dad. She is the hardest working mammal I ever met, even more than you. She's a nurse in Savanna Hospital and tougher than concrete poured on stainless steel. She never raised a hand at me but I have always been kinda terrified to piss her off, that is why in all my years of hustling I never actually broke the law."-

-"Wow wait are you telling me you were never a criminal?"- Judy said shocked.

-"Of course! How would you expect me to get into the police force if I had a record?"- He chuckled –"I started hustling at fourteen when she got cancer, it was ugly let me tell ya. Her fur fell off and she could barely walk let alone work so I started looking for jobs here and there. But nobody wanted to hire a fox so I begun panhandling and then got into a few cons. My mom at some point was so sick she could barely lift her head from the couch, but as soon as she figured out what I was doing she threatened to kill me if I ever wound up in jail and boy she was serious about it.

But what was I supposed to do? Let us starve? So I found a middle ground, I went to the library and studied the law and found several loopholes in there, it was just a matter of studying the regulations before I planned the con, that way I made good money and could do my thing without having to bribe or fight off crooked cops. As soon as she recovered she dragged me kicking and screaming, literally, back to school so I got my bachelor degree. But by then I had made hustling my career choice"-

He had thrown several years of childhood trauma at her with a light smile, nonchalant attitude and in record time, Judy wanted to comfort him but it was so much information to handle. All she could do was put her paw over his.

-"I'm sorry , I shouldn't have forced you to go through that again"-

-"its okay carrots, that's the problem with the truth I guess. It can turn pretty ugly very fast"- His sly smile was still in place but his eyes saw her with intensity. –"Well I made my part of the deal, I showed you mine it's time for you to show me yours"-

It was true, if he was brave enough to expose his awful past without sobbing or breaking apart then so could she. In fact his technique seemed rather useful, just get it out hard and fast like pulling out a bad aid.

With a determined look on her face she steeled herself, took a deep breath and told him the truth in the most matter of fact tone she could muster.

-"Last night I went on a date with Julien Lapin, the district attorney. It was fine at first until he offered to take me home, when I was in the car with him he took me to a desolate alley and tried to rape me. He was stronger than I expected and very fast, he hit me pretty hart on the head. If I hadn't been trained in combat he would had gotten his way with me but I fought him off and ran the hell out of there."- At the last sentence she actually managed to give her partner a smug smile, she sighed relieved; now that she said it out loud it didn't sound so bad. Yes Lapin had hurt her head and her heart but she could get over with it over time.

For Judy her confession had been liberating, as if talking to someone who cared about her had lifted her spirit, maybe all she really needed was to get this out of her system.

For Nick it was a very different experience, her words had pierced through his brain and soul shattering his whole existence. He seemed calm on the outside, something Judy misunderstood as acceptance, but on the inside an electric storm of primal emotions swirled in his gut bathing his vision in red.

He had never considered himself as the aggressive type, a smooth talker sure but never the one to use violence. In fact the fox usually looked down at the mammals that were aggressive; he considered them dumb and uncivilized. Many of his old friends actually called him a coward, since it was more likely for him to escape or talk his way out of trouble than fight back.

Until he met Judy that is, and she filled his head with hopes and dreams, she was the only one that believed in him after years of being put down and underestimated. Because of her he realized he could be brave, that he could amount to something and fight for a cause. He begun to fight back, he stood up to a gigantic water buffalo when they first met knowing the little bunny had been treated unfairly, never in his life he thought he'll defend anyone like that. Until then he had never cared for anything other than himself, but she came to his life like the fluffiest sweetest tornado and turned his life upside down.

And now here she was, crying with her little paws wiping the tears away, yet she looks hopeful once more. That unbreakable optimist.

Nick had never thought he could kill someone until now, never felt the feral instinct inside of his DNA begging to come out and taste fresh blood, never though he could be the one willing to start a fight and take it to its worst conclusion.

-"I can't believe this is happening"- His voice was numb, yet his conscience was whispering inside his head _"I will kill that bunny, I'll tear his fluffy little neck with my jaws and spill his tiny guts all over the floor"_

 _-"_ I know right? I have trouble believing it as well"- She said sadly, not knowing her partner was on the verge of a breakdown with every one of her words. –"And that's not the end of it, it gets worse"-

-"Worse?"- His voice was calm, cold even.

-"He's done it to others , there were at least seven more does that filed a complaint against him but he bullied them into silence. He might had actually killed one of his victims, but his connections in the law system bailed him out of it and swept the case under the rug"-

" _Don't worry carrots, after I'm done with him he won't be able to hurt anyone else"_ the primal voice inside his head kept whispering.

Judy was glad she talked to Nick, he didn't laugh at her or got angry he simply stayed quiet and composed through her whole speech. Grateful she threw herself at him and gave the fox a big hug.

-"Thank you Nick, you are a wonderful friend you know that right?"- Judy was nuzzling at the crook of his neck, her uninjured cheek rested on his shoulder. Slowly he returned the hug and she was intrigued when he nuzzled her cheek in return, placing special attention on the areas closer to her ears. She raised her head, not understanding why there were so many shivers down her spine but before she could say anything he rubbed the side of his face slowly into hers, his ears twitched and his tail shook wildly from side to side.

-"What was that all about?"- She asked exited, Judy didn't know what had just happened but she liked it.

Only then Nick managed to have a semi lucid thought " _Holy crap I just marked her!"_ panic rose inside him and he was extremely glad his red fur would cover his intense blushing. Apparently those primal instincts that awakened inside of him were not only about violence, the wild fox in his DNA also wanted to find a mate. Shaking himself awake he managed to find a somewhat truthful answer.

-"It's a sign of affection for foxes, well canids in general."-

As a response she put her twitching nose over his muzzle while her cotton tail shook with enthusiasm. He didn't know why that brought a fuzzy warm feeling inside of him.

-"And this is a sign of affection for bunnies"- She said happily, Judy was finally acting like herself again.

Nick was immensely thankful there were no other canides in the precinct, one sniff from them and they would be in huge problems. Right now he guessed his skin under the fur was probably spewing pheromones like crazy and his scent had probably mingled with Judy's as well. The worst part is that the poor bunny had no idea of what was going on, she probably thought he had given her the canide equivalent of a handshake instead of a frigging marriage proposal. Foxes don't just mark any vixen that comes their way; once they do they usually mate for life.

His thoughts were interrupted when a tiny kit came into the main hall carrying a gigantic bouquet of red roses; he talked to Clawhauser who pointed into Judy's direction smiling with glee.

The little kit hopped towards Judy and gave her the bouquet, he said in the peppiest tone the fox had ever heard.

-"Delivery for Judy Hopps from Julien Lapin"-

Judy's face filled with shock and dread, her shaking paws took the bouquet. A large note written in gold read:

 **I know we had some hard times, but I still love you my princess. As an olive branch I offer you an invitation to a charity ball I'm hosting in my manor tonight. I saw this dress and thought of you, please be an angel and wear it tonight. P.S. I thought the necklace would match the outfit so wear that too.**

Behind the bouquet was a large white box tied with a golden ribbon. When she opened it she saw a burgundy dress quite similar to the one he had ripped through shreds on her last night, on top of that a necklace made with platinum and rubies shone bright in the sun.

-"Is he really oblivious about how much of a monster he is or is he trying to bribe you?"- Nick couldn't contain the low growl from erupting in his throat.

Below the box a piece of paper was stuck with duck tape, Judy grabbed it and upon reading it her ears twitched and her left hind paw tapped furiously on the floor.

-"Neither! It's a threat!"-

-"He's threatening you?!"- Nick said even angrier that before, if that was possible. _"Yep, I'm mauling that bunny alright. Sure I'll be locked up for life but boy it will be worth it"_

-"No he's threatening YOU. This is a transcript of Natalia Skipter's case, the doe Julien killed; in here it says you had a nasty fight with her the day before she died."-

He snatched the paper from her paws and read the transcript, it took a while for him to remember but then he realized he had known Skipter, which was no big deal he knew everyone in Zootopia. First of all it wasn't a big fight, she was selling blueberries on the street and he took some, she caught him and they traded a few insults before going on back to their business. On the paragraph that detailed (and exaggerated) the fight between them large markings written with red pen circled his name, beside the paragraph Julien's handwriting said: New suspect?

-"I don't know what he wants from me, but I have to do what he says or he will frame you for the murder he committed"- Judy said in the brink of despair.

The fox meanwhile reached an epiphany, mauling that little dipshit would be extremely satisfying but a quick death is much more than he deserved. No this called for something else, the primal rage that infested his soul turned into pure malice. By the time he was done with him Lapin wouldn't be dead but he would wish he was.

" _No one messes with my partner"_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nick took the bouquet from Judy's paws and threw it in a trashcan bin. He was about to do the same with the dress and necklace but she stopped him.

-"We might need it"- she said calmly, noticing how Nick's fur was raising at the back of his neck.

-"You are not actually considering going aren't you?"- His scowl displayed the bright white canines at the front of his muzzle

-"Nick if I don't go he will frame you, he is a beloved DA with influence in the court and you are…"-

-"A fox"- He said with venom. –"I am not leaving you alone with that rabbit Judy, I don't care how powerful he is"-

She could see the dangerous rage bubbling inside of him, his pupils were shrinking and his claws were extended. Only then she realized he might do something he could regret afterwards. She needed to think a solution and it had to be fast.

A plan, well the beginning of one, formed in her mind. Judy remembered her partner had made a habit of pulling her strings form the first moment they met, but if she put her mind to it she could do the same.

-"Say slick"- The bunny said with a smug expression and a coy smile, her ears finally perking up –"What is that we do best when we want to bring someone to justice?"-

-"Chase them down and I put the pawcuffs while you tackle them?"- He said lifting an eyebrow.

-"No my dumb fox, we hustle them"- her grin turned malicious.

-"Very well my sly bunny, what do you have in mind?"- His stance was more relaxed and his lopsided smile was casual as ever, but the rage never left his eyes.

-"I was thinking we could find the evidence to convict him if we manage to access his personal files, probably his computer as well. And what could be a better opportunity to do so than being invited to his home?"-

-"Uh huh and how exactly do you plan on doing that?"- He cocked his head

Her ears drooped once more as she shook her head –"I don't know yet"- then her chin rose again and she had her usual stubborn expression while her chest seemed to swell with pride –"But I'll figure it out"-

No matter how cute she looked like whenever she did it, the fox knew the worst you could do when she was in hero cop mode was stand in her way. He couldn't help a soft chuckle when his paw rested on her shoulder again, his arm wrapped around her tiny shoulders, relieved she wasn't pushing him back anymore.

-"Let's work the details over lunch shall we?"- He said with a mischievous grin, her plan wasn't bad but did not fit his idea of a proper retaliation. Still it was a beginning; he could work the rest of his _own_ plan afterwards.

…

An hour later they were walking towards Finn's van. Nick banged the back door and was greeted by the tiny fox holding a large bat and a pawpsicle dangling from his muzzle, recognizing his friend the fennec fox dropped the weapon and removed his glasses.

-"Sup coppers, am I under arrest or something?"- His baritone voice hadn't lost its defensive edge.

-"Nah buddy, I just wanna ask you about some friends of yours"-

The smaller fox dragged Nick by the collar forcing him to be at the same eye level

-"Look Nick if you wanna play cops and robbers with your little fluff ball over there"- He said nodding towards Judy –"That's your problem, but you better get the fuck outta here if you think I'm gonna be snitching over my contacts"-

Before Nick could explain, Finn noticed a strange smell coming from his former partner, he sniffed the air around him and when he recognized the scent the tiny fox' eyes widened in shock.

Finn lost his grip on Nick's tie, allowing him to stand up straight, and the larger fox gulped nervously when he understood what had happened. Back in the precinct he had marked Judy, and for any other canide that was a gigantic neon sign advertizing he had found a mate… in a bunny.

Judy was about to ask what was happening between those two foxes when Finnik burst into loud laughter while Nick merely looked mortified.

-"You… HA HA HA sick… HA HA son of a vixen… Ha Ha"- Finn chocked out between laughs gasping for air. –"I knew… HAHAHA you were HA HA a **freak** but this…" he said pointing at a dumbstruck Judy. –"Is **priceless** "-

Embarrassed beyond words Nick begged Judy to wait for him in a coffee shop crossing the street; she agreed on the condition that he would explain to her what the hell was happening. Nick regretted the pact of complete honesty he made with the bunny, but he understood it was only fair that she knew what he had done to her.

Once Judy was out of hearing range the fox officer snapped at the tiny conmammal

-"Knock it off Finn! It's not what it looks like"- He hissed

Finally able to breath normally Finn responded

-"Yeah right, keep telling yourself that"- He said wiping a tear from his eyes, his belly sore from all the laughing

-"Look I didn't even mean to do it, one moment we're talking and the next I'm… you know…"- Nick shrugged and placed his hands on his pockets, too embarrassed to finish the sentence.

-"Oh so you telling me you're not planning on marring your little luuuuv fuzz, moving to a cute tiny little house and breed hundreds of malformed freaks of nature?"- Only the pain in his midsection stopped Finn from another laughing fit.

-"No it's not like that between us, we were kinda having a difficult moment and that must have triggered mi instincts that's all."- Nick sighed sadly placing a paw over his face –"Now I don't know how to take it back"-

-"Fool! If you don't like that bunny take a cold shower and walk it off. You don't think we are in the Stone Age aren't cha? Spewing your nasty pheromones on a female doesn't count like marriage in the eyes of the law"-

Nick was relieved at that notion, yes marking a female was still considered a huge sign of love and commitment in his race but civilization turned those practices into outdated rituals. What mattered is that he hadn't kissed her or anything like that; it was still possible to leave their friendship unscathed. Composing himself he addressed the matter at hand.

-"Look Finn I came here to ask you about those guys you worked with in that hustle with the raccoons back in Tundratown. Now before you ask I am not after them, all I want is to buy some surveillance equipment."-

-"Why don't ya ask that big ass chief of yours to give you some fancy wires and stuff?"- Finn said crossing his arms.

-"Because this is not an official investigation, carrots and I are doing this in the down low. Besides we need equipment much more powerful and sophisticated than what the ZPD can offer"- A dangerous spark ignited in his green eyes.

-"Whatever mammal, it's in the Nocturnal District. Look for The Marble Pit in the middle of "Las Cuevas" and ask for Goliath, he owes me big time he'll help ya"-

-"You're the best Finn"- Nick winked at his friend and was about to leave when Finnik told him.

-"You know Nick? You should tap that cotton tail; after all you know what they say about bunnies! She could pound you until your dick falls off!"- Finn winked back.

Nick couldn't help himself from erupting into full primal mode again, he lost control and before he knew it he was growling right into his friends face –"Don't you dare to say that about her!"- His voice sounded raspy and grave even to his own ears, his fangs were displayed on their full piercing glory, the fur on his back rose making him look twice as big as he was. Finn's response at his friend's outburst was another fit of laughing; too late Nick realized the smaller fox was simply messing with him.

-"You know what mammal? Just go ahead and marry that bunny already. First she drags you into solving one of her cases that almost gets you killed several times and you still came back for more, then she convinced YOU to become a COPPER. And now she did the impossible, he made you grow some **balls**! I can't believe it took a cotton tail for you to turn Alpha! Good for you sicko, good for you"- Fin faked a blow towards Nick's groin as if to emphasize there were some gonads in there for the first time.

The taller fox shook his head in bewilderment. He didn't know what was worse, than Finn thought he had romantic feelings for his partner or that he had, in a very typically rude way, gave them his blessing.

…

Nick went to the café and found Judy sitting in a small table by the window; a black coffee awaited him in the other side of her table. He gratefully downed the strong beverage hoping it might help clearing his head.

-"So what was that all about?"- Judy asked with her arms crossed, breaking the tense silence between them.

-"He told me where to find the surveillance equipment"- He said dryly

-"Nick…"- She warned, reminding him they made a pact of complete honesty, for better or worse.

He sighed and wrecked his brain trying to explain what had happened without lying or ruining their friendship –"Back at the precinct this morning when we… _hugged_ , I did something called "mingling" or marking. It's was as I told you a sign of affection, but it also sends a powerful chemical signal that other canides can smell, Finn noticed it and thought we were"- He cleared his throat in a vain attempt to hide his discomfort –"mating"-

-"But we are just friends! Couldn't you explain him that?"- She asked puzzled

-"I did, but he didn't believe me"- he loosened the black tie of his uniform, feeling a little short of breath –"It's a cultural thing carrots, I'm not sure you could understand. I think what ticked him off was that I did a very canide thing to a bunny"-

-"I don't wanna be offensive to your culture Nick, but I don't think is fair to forbid harmless sings of affection just because we are of a different species. I did the same to you when we twitched our noses and yes, most bunnies would be angry at that, but it's not their opinion that I care about only yours. Do you think what we did is wrong?"- Her big purple eyes were filled with concern.

-"No it wasn't"- he said with slumped shoulders –"But if other mammals think we are more than friends we might end up in prison or worse"- The fox shuddered at the idea of ending up in Bedlamb, pumped full or drugs and locked in a padded room wearing a straight jacket.

-"It's not fair"- She said sadly.

-"Anyway I was thinking we might want to head up to my place and change clothes, we really don't wanna meet those guys in our uniforms."- Nick was eager to change the subject.

-"My condo is not that far I'll go get my clothes, just give me the address and I'll meet you there"-

The fox remembered the last time he saw his partner out of uniform, her clothes looked clean but too well worn, on the verge of broken.

Judy's family was having a lot of trouble holding the farm together; a haze storm came out of nowhere last summer and tore away half their fields. So she begun to work an unhealthy amount of extra hours and sent her parents most of her already meager income to help support her siblings, leaving almost nothing for her own needs.

Nick had taken the same hours as her, if only to make sure her exhaustion didn't get her killed on the street, and used the extra money he made to supply for whatever she might need. It was the least he could do, after all the times she lent him money whenever his old acquaintances showed up to collect of his gambling debts.

-"It will be much faster if I buy you some new clothes on the way to my apartment"- He said paying the check and dragging Judy out before she had time to feel bad about herself for the dire situation she was in.

It hadn't been easy for the proud bunny to let Nick provide for her, even when she had been very eager in the past to help him out whenever his old habits and messy accounting left him on the red, loaning him her hard earned cash and not really expecting him to pay her back. He would never admit it, but he did like being the responsible knight in shiny armor for once.

-"Slick, are you my sugar daddy now?"- She said batting her eyelashes hoping to cheer both of them up.

-"Dang right carrots, only the best for my fluff"- He said in his usual charming smile touching her tiny nose with his paw.

…

Judy had never been in Nick's place before, it was one of the zillion ways he protected his privacy, for the bunny it was a clear sign he was opening up to her.

The sly fox actually lived in the epicenter of downtown Zootopia. On the third floor in a loft style apartment building fifteen times larger than hers without ever paying rent. The ten story building was actually abandoned in spite of its wonderful location, with only a fast food restaurant working at ground level.

-"Why is this place abandoned?"- She said bewildered.

-"Look at the windows"- He responded with a half smile

Judy scanned the whole apartment, only the light of a few bare light bulbs illuminated the place –"There are none"- she was intrigued.

-"Exactly, this building is iconic for the huge led signs that hang of it on the outside, so much that companies pay millions to advertise on them. In order to squeeze the most of that sweet advertising money the led signs spread through the entire building blocking the windows, making it unsafe and uncomfortable to live in. In the end they make much more cash renting the advertising space than renting the actual apartments underneath."- He said helping himself into a bowl of blueberries from his large, decade's old fridge.

Judy sat in an old huge couch on the corner of the loft and took with a smile the carrot and chocolate muffins he offered her.

-"Doesn't it bother you? I mean, doesn't it make you feel a little claustrophobic?"- She couldn't help noticing how dark and poorly lit his place was.

-"Nah I have good nocturnal vision I don't mind the darkness, and it's not like I spend more than a few hours a day here"-

The bunny saw the scarcely furnished loft; it had a private working bathroom with a large shower and a pretty big flat screen TV, the quintessential bachelor pad. It was a rundown abandoned building with no actual access to sunlight and it was still a thousand times better than her place. Plus he paid no rent and judging for the haphazard cables sprouting everywhere she guessed he didn't pay the electrical bills either, he probably mooched the power from the restaurant downstairs.

With a pang of shame she contemplated the idea of doing the same, after all he only took one story, and there were at least nine more available.

-"Earth to carrots"- His voice interrupted her musings; she had grown accustomed at the worry displayed in his eyes. –"What are you thinking about?"-

-"I'm thinking that next month the contract with my landlord expires and she is talking about raising the price"- Her eyes grew somber –"I can't afford the renewal, at least not right now"-

Nick sighed sitting next to her on the couch –"Yeah I was about to talk to you about that, my place is not the finest accommodation but its more than big enough for both of us, you are more than welcome to stay here"-

-"Thanks Nick, I owe you. Besides I was thinking about taking the floor upstairs as soon as I can make it livable, I could do a few arrangements and have my own floor, we could still live in the same building but not necessarily in the same room. I know how much you like your privacy and personal space"- She said giving him a large hug.

-"No rush carrots, as I said I don't spend much time here anyway. And since when do you respect my personal space? Ever since I met you, you have done nothing but invade it with your pushing around and your fluffy little hugs"- He said hugging her back.

-"You know you love me"- She said snuggling even closer to him.

-"Do I know that? Yes, yes I do."- His muzzle found his way at the top of her head between her ears. He breathed her scent, sweet, earthy and with a hint of musk. His arms snaked around her even tighter while his bushy tail curled around her.

Judy noticed the mild tension in his muscles and guessed what her friend wanted long before he did.

-"It's all right Nick, you can do it. I know you want to and to be honest, I kinda like it too"- She said placing her twitching nose over his, spreading that warm feeling over his body.

It took him only a second to understand what she meant and even less to comply. Once more the side of his face rubbed against hers, his muzzle paying extra attention to the sensitive areas next to her ears, he relished at the way he made them twitch.

" _What am I doing?"_ His civilized mind scolded him.

" _Marking her, she is mine"_ the primal voice soaring from his DNA responded

" _No she is not! She's a bunny. This is wrong she doesn't even understand, I made it look innocent when I told her about it but it isn't. I'm gotta make it stop!"_ the logical mind argued meekly

The primal voice did not give a crap for pesky little things like arguments _"She's mine, I like her, I mark her"_

….

After taking a shower (extra cold in Nick's case) and changing their clothes the duo headed to the nocturnal district. The dark underground gigantic cave system was a land of contrast, on the periphery it was a pitch black labyrinth of eerily quiet suburbs but on the center it was another thing entirely.

"Las Cuevas" was a city bustling with an orchestra of led and neon lights, filled with casinos and pubs. It was a tantalizing explosion of light and sound, filled with mammals of every species. The locals were predominantly bats and moles along with other nocturnal species such as foxes. Tourists from any other part of Zootopia filled the crowded streets, which shined with strong lights and loud music.

Years ago, Nick had felt at home in this place. A very profitable business was carefully created by the city in leaching out money from foolish tourists, who ended up gambling and squandering their profits on the city's thousand attractions, that ranged from huge concerts to the almighty casinos.

In this city Nick had gained a lot of money, only to lose it when his cockiness made him think he could cheat at poker and get away with it.

If it wasn't for Judy's help he would still fear stepping a paw in this district without being chased down by loan sharks.

The impressionable doe beside him stared at the thousand lights in the main street with the same wonderment he had when he first got here, over a decade ago. He promised himself that as soon as this issue with Lapin was settled he would take her to know every single corner of "Las Cuevas". A beautiful city where craziness was encouraged and most transgressions were forgotten, after all what happens in Las Cuevas stays in Las Cuevas.

The Marble Pit was a high class club in the middle of the city, its walls completely covered in white blue marble that reflected light in a way that made it look magical and romantic.

-"All right carrots we have to look for a guy named Goliath; I'll go to the underground basement you go to the main hall. Meet me in the entrance in an hour"-

His partner nodded and headed her way.

It didn't take too much prodding for Nick to find Goliath, well not necessarily him but the fastest way to contact the guy. Apparently you had to pay for a VIP table that was secluded at the back of the club and order for a special drink that wasn't on the menu; he didn't know what that drink was so he looked for his partner hoping she might found out.

He headed to the main hall and saw a group of four cheetahs on a podium giving a large concert to what seemed at least three thousand mammals.

 **What if I say I'm not like the others?**

 **What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays?**

 **You're the pretender**

 **What if I say I will never surrender?**

It didn't take long for him to notice Judy's gray ears poking out from the crowd, the Fur Fighters were one of her favorite bands and this was a fantastic concert they were giving. She was dancing like crazy in her usual over energetic way, shaking her head at the intense beat.

" _A head banger bunny"_ he chuckled _"Now I've seen it all"_

When he first got to know Judy he was shocked she wasn't only interested in pop songs, she had in fact a very eclectic taste that ranged from hard rock to corny pop going through alternative and even country songs.

Sadly she only made it to the final two songs of the concert and very soon she was meeting her partner at the main entrance.

Judy had found out the name of the drink, so they went to the VIP table that was placed in a separate room at the back of the club. The place was very quiet; the loud noises of the club were muffled by the thick walls of the room and the heavy mahogany doors that blocked the entrance. A beautiful table of rose colored wood adorned the middle of the room with equally intricate chairs surrounding it, on top of them there were cushions made of silk.

Once they sat there an ox waiter asked their order.

-"Two Eden green please"- Judy said actually thirsty from all the dancing she just did.

The ox came a few minutes later with two shot glasses filled with a cold green liquid, the fox sniffed his glass and turned his head, it was absinthe.

-"Look I just want to talk to Goliath"- Nick said frustrated –"Finn sent me"-

-"I know sir; he contacted Goliath in advance so he would know you were coming. In order to meet him it is imperative that you have your drinks, if you don't I am afraid he will refuse to meet you and will not think kindly of wasting his time."- The ox crossed his hoofs in front of him and looked at them expectantly.

-"Carrots I don't like this"- He learned by experience that if someone tried to push you into drinking anything then they had no good intentions.

-"Me neither Nick but we need the equipment"- Judy said drinking the content of the shot glass in one gulp.

-"Damn if you keep this up I gonna have to take you to an AA meeting"- He said downing his own drink.

Suddenly the room begun to spin, he felt hot and cold at the same time and his vision was blurred at the edges. He collapsed on the chair next to his partner, who had lost consciousness immediately, with his last glimmer of energy he glared at Judy.

-"I told you so, you dumb bunny"-


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: **To Lockdown00** I am working on the idea you asked from me, I will probably post the story when this one is finished, maybe a little earlier.

Chapter 4

A pungent overpowering smell invaded Nick's nose and forced him awake. It didn't took him long to regain his senses and become aware of his surroundings, beside him he saw Judy rubbing her paws over her face up and down in a very bunny like fashion. He placed his own paw on her back and was relieved when she stood up and blinked, seeming perfectly fine and lucid.

Both of them turned to see a gigantic feline towering over them, a small vial filled with what seen as smelling salts in his huge paws.

-"Did you enjoy your nap?"- The feline asked softly.

-"Yeah there's nothing I like more than being drugged against my will and dragged into"- Nick said looking at his surroundings –"A gutter?"-

-"I apologize for my methods but it is the only way I can make sure nobody knows where I work, especially if they are members of the force"- The feline said apologetically.

-"We didn't come here as police officers mister…"- Judy asked in her usual friendly way.

-"Oh forgive my poor manners, my name is Goliath"- He said holding his paw towards Judy, it was so big that all the small bunny could do was grab one of his fingers and shake it.

-"Judy Hopps"- She beamed at him –"And this is my partner Nick Wilde"-

Nick merely gave him a casual wave, still angry for the whole absinthe fiasco.

-"Nice to meet you both"- He said with a court nod –"Now I believe you are interested in purchasing some equipment. Am I right?"-

-"Yeah we are looking for surveillance, something that might allow us to access information stored in a private computer. And maybe some wires"- Judy said smiling, for some reason she liked Goliath even when she didn't know what kind of mammal he was.

He was much bigger than any other feline she had ever met; his fur was golden with a few subtle tiger like stripes and long hair around his neck but not as long as a lion's.

-"Very well, there are several options available but I need to know who the target is"- Goliath said gravely

-"I don't think that's any of your business, the whole reason we came here is to do it without anyone finding out about our plan"- Nick said standing defensively between him and Judy.

The bunny raised one eyebrow. Why was Nick acting so confrontational with a feline that wasn't hostile and could eat him alive in one gulp if he wanted to?

Judy leaned into her friend's shoulder and whispered in his ear -"Nick you do NOT want to make this guy angry, we need him and he could kill us both! Remember that nobody knows we are here"-

Goliath chuckled and shook his head -"It's all right Miss Hopps, your friend here cannot help himself he's just being an Alpha"- The feline had a prodigious sense of smell, even after the fox had recently bathed he reeked of male pheromones.

Judy threw a puzzled look at Nick who merely looked troubled.

The gigantic feline continued –"We do work on the underground mister Wilde, but there are limits we are not willing to cross. If you want to hack someone's computer to create terrorism of state for example, I am not going to help you"-

Judy stepped forward trying to put a distance between Nick and Goliath. –"Sir we are targeting a serial rapist and a murderer, but we can't do it by official means because he is too powerful. He is Zootopia's district attorney"-

At the mere mention of what Lapin had done Nick couldn't help the deep growl forming at the back of his throat.

Goliath gave her a large friendly smile –"You should have said it sooner, follow me to my office you can have anything you want free of charge"-.

-"Wow that's great! But why are you helping us?"- Judy said following the large feline with a kind smile, Nick was right behind her with a sullen expression. Looking around they realized they weren't inside a gutter but in a series of interconnected tunnels deep underground.

As they descended even deeper below, through large rock carved stairs Goliath explained –"Lapin works for the wealthiest mammals in Zootopia: politicians, judges, business tycoons you name it. When one of them commits a crime he makes sure to frame petty criminals, the powerful mammals get away literally with murder and since Lapin usually frames poor mammals with a criminal record when those saps go to jail no one bats an eyelid. In exchange he has a large portion of the federal court in his pocket, so whenever he brings a case to the court he wins, regardless if the defendant is innocent or not."-

Judy's ears dropped once more, her face invaded by sadness; she was ashamed of ever liking him.

Goliath noticed the change in demeanor of the bunny and gently placed his paw on her back. -"You are a much respected officer miss Hopps, so is your partner. If anyone can bring him to justice that is both of you"-

-"If you knew what he was doing, then why didn't YOU do anything to stop him?"- Nick said placing an arm round Judy's shoulders; the doe leaned into him finding comfort in the physical contact.

-"If I had found evidence against him I would have leaked it on the internet, but all I have is the testimony of vagrants and criminals. Besides, as a hybrid, nobody would pay any attention to what I have to say."-

-"What do you mean?"- Judy said finally understanding Goliath was a Liger –"Why would it matter if you are a hybrid?"-

-"We are barely considered mammals worthy of rights miss Hopps, at least my parents were of a similar species, but no matter how much they tried to usher me into society I have faced a lot of rejection. Still I lived a charmed life compared to some of my friends"- The liger informed them in a detached tone.

As they arrived to the bottom of the stairs several mammals came out of the shadows to meet the duo. –"Guys this is Nick and Judy, they are our clients"- Goliath said to the group.

A female mule waved at them –"Hi I'm Maria"-, beside her a Zorse crossed his arms and looked at them with distrust –"I'm Shabani"- he said tilting his head. Behind them, still on the shadows two large red eyes floated above them, their owner stepped forward in the dim light of the cave. At first she seemed like a regular female panther, her face a little bit flatter than what was usual on her species but it suited her, Judy thought she was pretty. Then as she came closer they noticed she had bat like wings on her back, she spread them wide as if trying to show them off, they were huge. –"Hello, my name is Angela"- the large creature said extending her hand. Both Nick and Judy shook it nervously.

Judy had heard of hybrids between species of the same genus, she knew that while some of them could be powerful like Goliath, who came from two very similar species, many were born with deformities. In fact the more dissimilar the species the higher chance of malformations their offspring had. It was the foundation of the current rejection of interspecies relationships; Judy thought that was stupid because species of too different genus could never even conceive.

But in front of them was a bat-panther hybrid, could she be called a "Banther"? Not only that was possible but the creature in front of them wasn't deformed, she was in fact quite beautiful.

She looked at Nick hoping he might explain what they were seeing but he seemed as shocked as her. For now the smaller non hybrid mammals chose to act like it was no big deal and focus in the task at hand.

The walls of the room were filled with equipment, from wires and computers to bombs and bazookas; it was a good thing they didn't work for terrorists because they had enough fire power to blow Zootopia to smithereens.

-"For you guys I think the smaller the better, I have a cloner and a leech"- Goliath said handing them what seemed to be two very small pieces of plastic –"The cloner works with cell phones, all you need is to put this baby within a radius of three feet from your target for at least ten minutes and his phone will be cloned into yours. You will have access to all his stored data and every call he makes from then on, everything will be cloned into your own cellphone."- He gave them an I-carrot that was clean and untraceable –"Then there's the leech, place it inside the computer so he won't notice it and it will send every information that device has to an internet address of your choosing"-

-"Thank you very much Goliath, could we ask you some wires as well? Just in case we can catch him saying something incriminating outside his phone"- Judy said shy

-"And maybe something that will let me monitor Judy while he is with Lapin, in case he catches us and tries to hurt her"- Nicks eyes were turning into dark green slits.

Angela nodded –"I have just the right thing for you"- Five minutes later she was giving Judy a bracelet made of black pearls with matching earrings. –"The pearls in the bracelet are tiny listening devices, it is not uncommon for females to break their bracelets and scatter pearls all over the place, it shouldn't arise too much suspicion at first. As for the earrings you place them close to your ears, they are Bluetooth devices, that way you can communicate with Nick at all times"- She gave the fox a tiny black Bluetooth device as well, he could easily hide it in his ears.

-"That's great guys, thanks for helping us"- Nick said finally relaxing in front of the hybrids, foxes were suspicious by nature, it took them time to feel at ease with strangers.

-"Yeah we should be going now"- Judy said a little nervous, she had no idea of how to get out of the tunnel since she wasn't awake when she got there.

-"No problem, just tell us where do you want us to drop you"- Shabani said giving them two plastic cups with absinthe in it.

-"Is this necessary?"- Nick asked them annoyed.

-"Yes!"- The hybrids said in unison.

-"Give them your address Nick, the ball is tonight and we have to get ready"- The bunny then turned towards Goliath –"Could you take us there as fast as you can?"-

The Liger nodded.

Before the fox could react Judy took the cup and drank the content in one gulp, he had to catch her so she wouldn't fall and hit her head on the floor. He placed her on the ground carefully and with a grumpy expression he laid flat on his back. Told the hybrids where he lived and drank the absinthe.

…

Back in Nick's apartment, Judy saw herself in the bathroom mirror. The dress Julien had bought her was much more revealing than she thought, it was very long to the point that she would have to drag the tail of it on the floor. On the front it had a v shaped cleavage so deep it got practically to her belly button, which forbid her from wearing a bra and below her hips a large slit placed in the middle of the dress exposed her legs. She couldn't ignore the fact that she was an uncalculated movement away from indecent exposure.

The ridiculously expensive ruby jewelry on her neck looked more like a choke collar than an embellishment, it made her feel trapped, as if Julien was claiming ownership over her.

She came out of the bathroom and saw her partner dressed as a waiter, he had a cheap suit with a white t-shirt and a bowtie. He looked up to see her and his jaw dropped.

-"You look nice"- The fox said in a neutral tone " _Under_ s _tatement of the year_ " he thought, she looked like the most gorgeous creature he had ever laid his eyes upon.

She slouched and bowed her head in shame –"I look like a slut, I think he just wants to shame me in public"- She said placing her paws below her hips, terrified that the slit at the bottom of her dress would reveal too much.

Nick always had the ability to get in other mammal's head, something very useful in his conmammal past and essential in his current days as a cop. He guessed Lapin was probably taking a preventive maneuver inviting her to the ball. He would make sure she was seen with him in public like a gold digger hussy, the expensive necklace would hammer that point, so even if she filed a claim against him no one would believe her. The shame Judy would feel forced to parade by his side like a prized trophy would be icing on the cake.

He took her paw and guided her in front of the long mirror he had in his front door, the one he used to check himself right before leaving for work. He placed his paw below her chin, forcing her to look at her own reflection.

-"There is nothing shameful in the way you look, not unless you are ashamed of yourself. You are a very beautiful female and you have a nice… um… figure"- He struggled to get his point across without sounding like a creep. –"It is your divine right to show it off, don't give him the pleasure to make you feel embarrassed at who you are"-

Her ears perked up, a sly smile crept on her muzzle that didn't reach her eyes –"Don't let them see that they get to you, right slick?"-

-"It _shouldn't_ get to you, you are gorgeous and I think it's about time for other mammals to see that."- For a moment he was intoxicated at the pheromones her skin was releasing, it took all his willpower not to dig under her fur with his muzzle so he could inhale them more deeply. The little exposed skin she had near her ears was turning a lovely shade of pink; giving him hope that maybe he wasn't the only one with inappropriate feelings in his heart. He tore away from her like flesh from bone, forced to get some distance and regain composure, he placed the mask of sly fox on himself one more and talked to her reflection. –"If you got it, flaunt it"- he shrugged with nonchalance.

She took a deep breath, stood up straight and posed by the mirror. A new air of confidence invaded her as she gave a hundred and eighty turn on her heels, the velvet of her dress twirling with flair around her. For the first time in her life she realized that she could be sexy, that sensuality wasn't something to be ashamed of or looked down upon, it was her god given right and not even monsters like Lapin should be entitled to take it away from her.

She turned towards Nick, with a genuine sultry smile, her Muzzle inches from his. She relished in the way he seemed mesmerized at the sight of her new confident self, her paw gently caressed the side of his face causing tiny shivers under his fur.

-"Well what are we waiting for? We have a rabbit to hunt"- Judy purred, then she opened the door and went outside, indicating with a nod of her head he should be following suit.

A lopsided grin formed in the fox's lips, his eyes glinted with malicious glee

–"That's my girl"-


	5. Chapter 5

Authors note: I need to explain about the panther bat hybrid. I figured evolved bats would be much bigger than regular ones otherwise the nocturnal district would be too similar to little rodentia. I pictured them as big as a fox by example.

Thank you all for your reviews they mean a lot to me

Chapter five

Judy entered the main hall of the Lapin manor without paying attention to the curious glares she received from all the other mammals in the room. Scanning the whole place she found no signs of Julien but she grew concerned when she noticed several scattered grizzly bears wearing black suits around the manor, they were obviously professional bodyguards, she hoped her fox could infiltrate the DA's office without being noticed.

-"I'm in"- She heard Nick's voice through her Bluetooth device. He had mingled between the other waiters without a problem.

-"His office in on the first floor, in the right wing, it seems locked. There are too many guards Nick, do you want me to create a distraction?"- She muttered to her partner using a full champagne glass to cover her muzzle.

-"I see them carrots, they are very focused on you if you do something even remotely suspicious they'll know something's up. Don't worry I'll think of something."-

-"There you are! I have been waiting for you for a while now!"- The cheery smooth voice that spoke behind her froze Judy in her tracks, cold fear gripped her chest and she had to force her lungs into taking air.

She turned to see Julien and had to force her mouth shut not to throw up. The handsome bunny was wearing an expensive teal colored suit, his fur was as silky and immaculate as the last time she had seen him. How could someone so handsome and with so much going for him could be so monstrous on the inside?

" _Don't let them see that they get to you_ " Her partner's voice rang, not from the device on her ear but from her memory, she focused on the fox's image and all the support he had given her " _It_ _ **shouldn't**_ _get to you"_ She drew strength from her mental picture of Nick, and then gave her tormentor a sardonic smile.

-"Hello Julien"- Judy said in mock cheer as she offered her paw for him to shake. The white rabbit took it but instead bowed his head and kissed her knuckles; suppressing another wave of nausea she used all her willpower not to roll her eyes at his fake chivalry. But the rabbit wasn't done, he lounged himself at her and gave her a big yet casual hug. Any bystander that crossed their way could easily confuse his actions for an innocent demonstration of friendly affection, after all bunnies were very expressive and emotional creatures prone to regular physical contact with their peers. But his paws were soon sneaking to the back of her dress near her tail, bringing all her self control crashing down as the dark memories from the previous night invaded her mind once more.

Looking up past Julien's shoulder she saw Nick heading swiftly to the first floor, for a second her despaired eyes met his. What she saw in the emerald green of the fox's glare was terrifying; the savagery that affected random predators during the night howler spree had nothing on the raging hatred in his eyes. She knew that if she didn't hold herself together fast Nick would maul the sick bastard that was groping her in front of hundreds of witnesses, at the thought of seeing the poor fox in jail just to defend her she thought " _You are just not worth it Julien"_ and feigned to drop her champagne glass on the floor. The glass and its golden liquid splattered all over the marble floor and she made a sharp yelp of surprise, as an instinctive response Lapin let go of her and more importantly, the bodyguards focused on her when hearing the commotion.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the end of a red bushy tail entering their target's office and closing behind him the door barely made a low thud.

-"I guess someone has been drinking too much champagne"- Julien said placing his paw on the small of her waist.

She faked a vapid giggle and the flirty smile she gave him was worthy of the Academy Awards –"Maybe I did"-

Pushing down her disgust, she resolved to keep the white rabbit's attention (and the bodyguard's) on herself so Nick could work freely, even if that meant she had to play the part of the dumb slutty bunny everyone assumed she was. Judy activated the "cloner" hidden on her tiny purse. Staying close enough to her target and his phone for the tiny devise to work its magic shouldn't be too hard, seeing how the rabbit was adamant to keep his paws on her all the time.

The plan was going smoothly.

…..

Nick entered the office suppressing a growl, that fucking rabbit was still trying to get in Judy's… Ahrg! He couldn't even finish the sentence in his own head. " _Focus! Keep your eyes on the prize_ " the sly fox reminded himself of his goal, as he found the expensive computer right in the middle of a large mahogany desk. He retrieved a small screwdriver from his pocket and his nimble paws easily removed one of the parts of the case and connected the "leach" into the motherboard, then he scattered microscopic wires inside the computer and the landline phone. All this time through the Bluetooth device he could hear Judy's conversation with their target and the rest of the guests at the party, he hated the way Lapin was parading her through the entire place.

-"Carrots I'm done with the office but I need to make a few more stops"- He loathed himself for saying this –"Can you make a few more distractions?"-

The only response she gave him was a loud giggle and a scattering noise, he guessed she had broken her pearl bracelet and now the pearl shaped listening devices would be scattered through the whole ground floor, he used the distraction to get out of the office and headed to the main bedroom.

….

Time dragged on as Lapin introduced her to every influential mammal in Zootopia. Some were actually very nice and polite, some either drooled at the expanse of fur shone in her revealing dress or judged her for it, and some merely showed contempt for her humble farming origins.

At some point an elegant rabbit couple headed their way, both of them had pristine white fur and red eyes, they introduced themselves to Judy as Josephine and Jean Lapin, Julien's parents.

-"Mother, Father, I think I found the one"- Julien said proudly to them while holding Judy close to him.

The doe was puzzled, what was wrong with this guy? What kind of psycho tortures and blackmails a female only to present her to his parents like it was a long serious relationship?

Josephine raised a smug eyebrow at the uncomfortable police officer, her lopsided grin reminded Judy too much of her twisted son. -"Well in that case I am very happy for you Julien, I wish you both the best of luck"- for some reason her saccharine tone brought dread into the younger doe's heart.

-"Indeed my dear, I am proud to welcome such an illustrious officer of the law to our family"- Jean Lapin, senator of Zootopia, looked at Judy with an ominous presence so daunting she understood that the evil coursing through Julien's veins ran in the family.

With terror she noticed she was surrounded by the three rabbits, all three pairs of red eyes focused on her.

-"No tell me son, are you going to make a decent doe out of this lovely lady? Or are you going to keep her waiting for you to make the right choice?"- Jean said humorously not hiding the fact that he was fixated on her exposed fur.

-"My baby is a proper gentlemammal, I am sure that he would not shy away from his duty and his heart"- Josephine said indignantly

-"As a matter of fact I am willing to make my intentions clear next week, perhaps in the country club by the lake"- Julien told them in his most charming voice

-"Splendid! We will have a lovely soiree to celebrate the occasion"- Josephine said with glee, even when her eyes were as cold as ever. With that both elder rabbits gave the younger couple a court nod and left so they could socialize with the other guests.

As soon as the parents were out of earshot Judy dropped the dumb bunny pretence and confronted Julien -"What the fudge are you all talking about?"-

-"Our upcoming marriage of course"- He said casually

-"You ARE insane! I would rather clean every dumpster in Zootopia with my tongue than getting married to a monster like you!" She spat

-"And would you rather say goodbye to your foxy partner than being my wife, huh? Tsk tsk tsk you know quite well how illegal it is for members of different species to mate."- He pouted

-"Not all males have sex with the first females they see, he is only my friend and a much better mammal than you will ever be!"- She poked a finger into his chest, disgust coloring her voice.

-"You know, my original plan was to marry you, in spite of your poor origins. Because you my vixen have a very high media profile and connections with both the police and the mafia! We could have been unstoppable! But then you chose to act like a frigid pedantic hussy and caused a big mess. Besides, I can't let you go around Zootopia slandering my good name, so I think it is best if I keep you on a ball and chain."- He snarled at her with seething rage.

-"There is no way I would ever agree to marry you, there is nothing you can do to me that would make me even consider that"- She said holding her ground.

\- "To you? Oh my coquette I would never dare… but if you refuse your partner will be thrown in jail for the rest of his pathetic miserable life, assuming he gets to live much longer next to the most dangerous criminals that crowd Saint Prowltin. I control this city, one word from me and he will rot in jail for every unsolved crime in Zootopia. The way I see it you have only two choices, be an obedient little wife and keep that cute little muzzle shut or let Mr. Wilde at the mercy of the court, my court"-

Judy made a huge effort not to howl in glee, she had a full confession from Lapin with his intention to frame Nick. Even if they didn't find anything on his computer she could make certain her partner's freedom was no longer at stake.

It was important now that their target didn't suspect anything, so she bowed her head and pretended to be defeated.-"You win Julien, Nick never did anything to you just let him out of all this"-

-"I knew you were smart, don't worry your little fox will be fine. As long as you do exactly as I tell you, starting now."- The malice in his eyes filled Judy with fear.

-"What do you want?"- She was afraid to ask.

-"I want what you owe me, follow me to my room and give me what is rightfully mine. And you better make up for all the trouble you have caused me"- He dragged her to the first floor and into his room, she hadn't put more than one paw inside when the white rabbit grabbed the sides of her dress in an attempt to take it off.

-"If you touch her I kill you"- Nick said turning the lights on, he was looking for evidence in his bedroom when he heard the conversation between his partner and his target so he waited for them there.

-"Mr. Wilde, nice to finally meet you. Now I must kindly ask you to leave so I can have a moment with my fiancé. If you do it fast I might consider not pressing charges against you for trespassing into my property and giving a death threat to a public official"- The rabbit said with a sly grin, he suspected that fox would meddle in his path sooner or later.

Nick knew the best course of action was to let Lapin think he had won, he intended to get Judy away from him using only his wit, knowing too well that if he used violence their carefully crafted plan might fail. Once they were outside the manor they would carry the rest of their mission and only then the sleazy rabbit would know what he was in for.

But then he saw Judy standing next to him, she looked strong and determined but she smelled like Lapin. His logical mind was not surprised since the sleazebag had probably been groping her throughout the whole night; surreptitiously rubbing his scent on her but his primal mind saw this as an unforgivable affront. This rabbit, this _prey_ , dared to rub his scent on HIS mate. He had marked Judy making clear she was his, if another male dared to question that statement it was the fox's duty to attack that creature until he was certain it was no longer a threat.

Nick lounged himself at the rabbit with almost supernatural speed, with one paw he grabbed his target's neck and slammed him into the nearby wall. The fox's claws around the rabbit's neck collided with the wall with such force the sturdy structure begun to crack and crumble around the area of the impact. It was a miracle Julien's neck hadn't break.

It wasn't the voice of Judy's partner what came out of the rabid fox, it was something raw grave and guttural –"The only way I am going to jail is after I have ripped you to pieces, chew you up and spit your pathetic little bones"- His fangs protruded from his snarling muzzle, shining white under the lamps of the stylish bedroom. His eyes were literally glowing as his pupils enlarged, filling his irises.

For Nick it was too late, his primal mind had taken over, his jaw opened wide aiming at his prey's neck.

Judy had seen in horror how her partner turned from a normal civilized mammal to a savage beast, his claws wrapped around Julien's neck squeezing the life out of him. At first the rabbit tried to fight him off but the fox's strength was unwavering and it wasn't long until he lost consciousness, she grabbed him by the shoulders and tried to calm him down –"Nick please get a hold of yourself, this is not worth it!"- But she knew he didn't register a single word she said. When his fangs aimed at the white rabbit's throat it took all her strength to grab his shoulders and with a Judo grip she managed to throw him on the ground.

As soon as her partner lay on his back in the wooden floor she jumped on top of him grabbing his face and placing her own muzzle a few inches away from him.

-"Nick wake up!"- She said worried, he really looked like he had lost all semblance of control.

His roars only grew louder and she was surprised at the notion that a wild fox was growling right next to her and it didn't scare her, two years ago she would had run away from such beast. But now she was certain his wild rage was not directed at her, she understood he would never cause her harm. Realizing rational arguments would get her nowhere she tried to appeal to his savage side, she rubbed her cheek next to the side of his face while her ears twitched, little by little the feral growls turned into almost a soft purr.

By the time Nick woke up from his trance Julien had regained consciousness and was looking at the couple on the floor with a mixture of fear and disgust.

The fox stood up and walked towards him with a more controlled but still dangerous expression.

-"You will leave Judy alone and never come even close to her again, or no matter how much power or money you have, no matter what prison you throw me in I will come back and kill you myself. Is that clear?"-

Julien really wanted to tell him that now it was too late for conciliation, that not only would he send that fox to prison but he would also murder Judy while he was locked up and unable to do anything about it. It was a shame, she could have given him access to the police (ran by an incorruptible and therefore immune to blackmail buffalo) and Mr. Big, someone so powerful not even his cunning machinations could ever grant him access without her help. But his pride had been scorned and both of them needed to pay the price, to make matters worse he wasn't stupid enough to confront the feral fox ready to kill him right there, so for the first time in his life the pedantic rabbit swallowed his pride.

-"I understand Mr. Wilde, you have my word I will not trouble Miss Hopps anymore"- Inwardly he swore bloody revenge on the duo.

Neither Nick nor Judy believed him, but at least it gave them the opportunity to get away from the manor and gave them some time to collect enough evidence to send him to jail. They knew nonetheless that time was running against them since Julien's retaliation would not take too long.

….

Three hours later they were in Nicks apartment searching through the evidence, the ride from the manor in a cab they called had been silent and tense. To make things even more awkward the fox had been in a somewhat semi feral mode with his fur raised and his pupils large, until they made it to his home and he had mingled with Judy for almost half an hour, only when he was satisfied that only his scent marked her skin and fur he was able to relax and be fully civilized.

Judy could no longer deny there was more to a sign of affection at the primal ritual they had engaged in several times in the last 24 hours, she also knew now was probably not the right time to address her partner's intense posseiveness and mood swings. Once this revenge was behind them they both needed to have a serious talk and perhaps some sort of therapy, assuming they could find a professional who had any idea of how to treat something like this.

Several files appeared on their computers belonging to the DA, some files where from official investigations but some of them where not supposed to be seen. When they managed to sort through them they were overwhelmed at the extent of Lapin's wrongdoings. They knew he was corrupt, and a rapist and a murderer.

But this was far worse that what they could have ever expected.


	6. Chapter 6

Final chapter

Judy gave Nick a big goodbye hug, she was only going away for a few days but she knew she'll miss him horribly. He had convinced her to stay with her family in Bunnyburrow until the aftermath of Julien's downfall faded off. It had only been a few hours since they gave the mountain of evidence against him to Chief Mau, and he was being arrested right at this moment.

Both partners were more than happy to give Mau all the credit for bringing down not only a corrupted DA, but also a large chunk of the rotten legal Zootopia system to the ground. With the Night Howler case Judy had become somewhat of a minor celebrity and the media attention had put a huge strain on her and her career, to add that to her recent trauma might have been more than she could handle. Nick on the other hand knew that in order to carry on the second part of HIS plan it was necessary that he kept a very low profile, Judy didn't know about his plot and he wanted to keep it that way until everything was over.

Now both were saying goodbye at the station in Savanna Central, Judy gave him an enthusiastic wave, she was slowly acting like her old self, with the sadness in her eyes not gone but at least dimming. The train's door close and once the it left the station he was flooded with a pang of uncertainty at the knowledge she would be away from him for some time, the possessiveness inside his primal being was urging him to run after her and keep her by his side at all times. He knew that was wrong and whatever animal surge that had awakened in him needed to be controlled and put down, it was unnatural enough that he had imprinted on her so deeply that he had the need to mark her several times, when even between a fox couple that was something you do once or twice in a lifetime. He knew that the best way to regain a sense of normality between them was to stay separated until the imprinting wore off.

Only then, when he was a fully civilized mammal again, they would need to have a very serious talk about all of this. His rational mind had the nerve to suggest they shouldn't be partners anymore, before they did something they could not take back, something illegal like falling in love.

Pushing those sentimental musings aside the fox concentrated on his plan, he dialed Finn's number and after two rings the fennec fox answered

-"Speak"- Came his grave grumpy reply

-"Hi Finn I need you to make me a big favor"- His voice implied two things, one that he was in full blown alpha male mode so the smaller fox had to comply or face the consequences of pissing him off and two, that he would pay back that favor tenfold.

-"Yeah what is it?"- Finn responded in a more meek tone, it was unsettling for the smaller fox to deal with an alpha version of Nick.

-"I need you to deliver some packages for me; I'll meet you in your place and give you the addresses where you are supposed to take them. This is very important though, you have to deliver them in person"-

-"Got it. Chiao"- Finn responded gaining some confidence, at least he wasn't the one at the end of Nick's rage.

….

Two hours later the fox entered the precinct wearing his orange regulation vest and his bob hat, Bogo had graciously given Judy at least two weeks with paid leave but Nick was still supposed to be delivering parking tickets. It suited him just fine, since reporters were crowding the entrance of the precinct where Chief Mau was about to give a press conference and he knew the ridiculous outfit would ensure he was ignored from any prying eyes.

He was heading towards the joke-mobile when Chief Bogo called him to his office.

Once inside the fox kept his casual relaxed stance and sat comfortably in the chair facing his boss. He was glad the buffalo wasn't the type to beat around the bush.

-"Chief Mau had contacted me asking for help in the prosecution against Lapin, she confided in me that it was you and officer Hopps the ones that collected the evidence against him. For your information she doesn't like the idea of taking credit for your hard work"- He knew Cassandra wasn't the kind of mammal that indulged in media recognition.

-"Yeah that's the thing boss, if we _were_ the ones to get the evidence as police officers the files would have been denied on the counts of being collected without a warrant"- He said smugly

-"But as an anonymous tip the evidence will be accepted in court"- The buffalo grumbled, he was also glad those two had finally chose to take a low profile. As the officers that brought down not one but two crooked mayor's plan they were both considered heroes, especially Hopps. If they took the credit they deserved for dismantling the Zootopia's court system they would be full blown celebrities and that would be more of a hassle than he could deal with.

As a response Nick tapped his nose with one paw.

-"Very well Wilde, I think you have earned some rest, take a few weeks off maybe stay with your partner if you feel like it"- Bogo had an inkling of what Hopps might be going through and suspected she might need her partner's support.

It took a lot of self restrain for the fox to deny the offer, knowing that the best course of action would be to stay separated for a while and that a menial job might be necessary for him not to succumb to his primal wishes.-"No thanks boss, I'm good. But there is a tiny little favor I need from you. I want to be the one that interrogates the suspect; I just need five minutes alone with him"-

Bogo noticed the murderous look in Wilde's eyes and feared what he could be able to do

-"I think it is best that Chief Mau handles this from now on"- The buffalo threw the fox a warning glare

-"You Know chief, that DA was a piece of work, when we were browsing through his files we found some disturbing stuff. Did you know that he wanted to blackmail you? Now he followed you for days but you being your usual self he found out you are as clean as a whistle. If not for a teensy little detail"- The fox tapped at his phone for a while until he found the picture he was looking for, and then he handed the device to his boss.

Bogo stared at the picture in Wilde's phone; at first glance it was perfectly innocent. It was a photograph of Cassandra Mau taken while she was talking to one of her officers in the main hall of the precinct. From the angle it was took you could see that the photo was clearly taken without her permission or knowledge. In the back was Bogo talking to Clawhouser, Nick zoomed in on Bogo's face, he was staring with longing eyes at the cat.

The picture could never be effectively used as blackmail material because it was technically nothing out of the ordinary, but you didn't need to be a detective to guess the raw loving emotion Bogo's face had expressed when he had been staring at her, not knowing someone might notice.

For the eleventh time the buffalo hated himself for loving someone so out of his reach in every possible way. He managed to hide the pain in his eyes as he addressed Wilde, realizing that to deny his feelings would be futile.

-"It is quite hypocrite for your part to bring this up, don't you think?"- Bogo was defeated but he wouldn't go down without a fight, everyone with a modicum of observance could tell there was more than friendship between the bunny and the fox.

Too late Nick realized that it probably _was_ hypocrisy, but his plan needed to be carried on and he couldn't let his boss stay in the way. In case it was absolutely necessary, he had some _real_ piece of blackmail material against his boss that had nothing to do with Mau, but he really hoped he never had to use it.

-"Touché"- The sly fox conceded –"So this is my offer, you give me five minutes alone with Lapin and I will erase this picture from any device I have in my power. There's no need to say I have never given the photo to Mau and I'm not planning to"-

-"Very well, but I will be monitoring you personally through the two way mirror and remember that if you touch even one tiny hair from Lapin's sick privileged little head not only he might be set free but you will be kicked out of the force"- then the chief gave the fox a wry grin, showing he knew one of Wilde's weaknesses –"And Hopps will have to be assigned a new partner"-

A flood of jealousy invaded him; he had been foolish to think that separating from Judy was an option. The mere thought of seeing her with another mammal, specially a male was enough to make him simmer with suppressed rage.

-"I won't lay my hands on him Chief, scouts honor"- Nick answered with an impish grin crossing a paw over his heart.

-"You never made it to the junior scouts Wilde, remember I examined your track record personally"- Bogo's nostrils were flaring.

….

Nick strolled into the interrogation cell with a confident expression and a leisure pace, before he got in he saw Wolford guarding the exit. He politely asked the wolf to cut down the audio fee, the officer agreed knowing him and Bogo would stay in the next room observing everything through the two way glass, it was too obvious for a fellow canide to know that the fox was in a very dangerous mood.

Once inside he saw the white rabbit in pawcuffs, his usually pristine hair was matted and disheveled, his red eyes seemed to glow with malice.

-"Are you comfortable?"- Nick said lifting an eyebrow and giving him a smug smile.

-"You do realize Mr Wilde that I am not going to say another word until my lawyers get here, right?"- Julien knew that with an entire law firm by his side he could get away from this ordeal in one piece. In the worst case scenario his family would bail him out, he would have to get away from the country, and then lay low in a tropical island for a few years until the dust settled. In the best case scenario he would be released on parole.

-"Oh you cute wittle bunny, you think you can still game the system don't ya?"- Nick said playfully, his elbows resting on the table and his face over his entwined paws.

-"I believe my father will do everything in his power to see that I have a fair trial Officer Wilde"- The bunny chuckled at the officer's innocence, did he really believe that a common doe and a fox could outweigh all the years his family spent weaving influences into Zootopia's elite?

Even if they accessed his personal files there was no way the powerful mammals in charge would let that information spill on a public trial, it was quite likely they would shut down everything in order to protect themselves. The police was a few steps below in the chain of command and they would have to keep their heads down when the true leaders ordered them to keep quiet.

So what if they got evidence against him from all the does he had his way with? Most rape trials are merely a circus of "He said, she said" shenanigans. Someone as skillful like him in the ways of the law could get away with it even when they had recorded evidence of his actions.

He recognized he had been a fool to tape himself with all the females he subdued, but when every single one of your desires are so easy to achieve, the only way he could feel something even remotely close to excitement was to take what was not offered. Those were fond memories of the only time that he truly felt like himself, so as a sentimental idiot he had taped his activities in order to relive them whenever he felt like it.

-"Oh sorry, I guess no one told you"- Nick feigned sympathy –"But your daddy is going away to prison too. See, you are a scumbag rapist and a blackmail artist but your pops is way worse than you, he killed Natalia Skipter and we have evidence against him, it wasn't just your computer that we hacked you know? Considering what he did to her I wouldn't be surprised if they advocated him for death penalty"-

-"That is a ridiculous lie, everyone knows she was attacked by a large predator"- Julien said outraged.

-"Nope, she was assaulted by your father and when he grew tired of her he called his grizzly bear friends and told them to have a go. I guess the fucked up apple didn't fall far from the tree"- The fox grew serious, a venomous stare in his eyes –"Four large bears against one tiny bunny, I've seen twisted stuff in my life but this is on another level"-

-"You are bluffing"- The rabbit hid his uncertainty under a pedantic mask

-"Let me tell you what's going to happen, you will be given the maximum sentence for each of the twelve cases of rape against you, and I don't even want to know how much time you are going to serve for the multiple cases of blackmail and obstruction of justice. Those penalties are gonna be served in consecutive order, meaning that from the rape charges alone you will face at least 50 years in prison."- Then Nick's smile took a cruel tinge when he continued –"And don't fool yourself thinking you are going to a low security prison with other white collar criminals like you, or even a high security one with all the evil masterminds. Nope, you are going to the worst prison of all, the prison where POOR mammals are forced to go."-

-"Saint Prowlin?"- Julien laughed in disbelief –"No judge would even consider sending someone like me to that place"-

The red fox threw a tablet at his captive, the bunny begun to look at the images the device displayed in growing terror.

-"Yeah, about that. When Judy and I begun to browse through your blackmail files we created two categories. On one side there were the high ranking government officials who broke the law and worked beside you, those are going down along with your sorry tail. On the other side there are the victims of your blackmail who did things many would think are immoral but not illegal, like being gay and in the closet or cheating on their spouses, those were given all the evidence you had against them and it landed right into their paws a buddy of mine made sure of it. So there are only two types of judges capable of trialing you in court, the few honest ones that hate what you did to the justice system and the ones that are tired of having you pulling the strings and no longer fear you, neither of them will give you a light sentence"- Nick laid back in his seat placing his entwined paws behind his back. –"You know, I could spend my entire life thinking of ways to torture you and none of that could compare to what is expecting you on Saint Prowling. After all, several poor mammals are suffering in that hellhole because of you and boy, are they gonna throw you a welcome party as soon as you get there. What wouldn't I give to be a fly on _that_ wall!"-

The look in the small rabbit's face was priceless, the fox almost took a picture of it so he could show it to Judy but thought better of it when he realized she would feel sorry for that twerp. The mixture of dread and panic in his face would have been heart melting in any other circumstance.

Nick stood up and threw a glance at the two way mirror signaling Bogo and Wolford to enter the interrogation room; he took the tablet in his paws and left after throwing Julien a casual wave. He had kept his word, he never touched the bunny, and he didn't need to.

He strolled casually through the halls of the precinct and poured himself some coffee, then he sat in one of the uncomfortable benches near the bending machine and as he sipped the dark beverage he begun to count backwards.

5… 4…. 3… 2… 1…

A crash of glass and some shouting erupted from the interrogation room and he could easily hear Wolford and Bogo's shouting, they were calling for an ambulance and backup. It was simple for him to slip away from the panic that ensued, choosing to lay low until everything was over. With casual nonchalance he threw the empty paper cup on a nearby trashcan bin, put on his stupid orange vest, his silly bob hat and went his way to deliver parking tickets.

…

By the time he collected the required 150 tickets Julien's corpse had been taken to the morgue and the blood filled interrogation room was almost fully processed by the CSI techs. He feigned complete surprise when Clawhauser told him Julien had thrown himself into the two way glass breaking it in pieces, and before either Bogo or Wolford could stop him he dug a piece of glass into his own jugular.

Nick felt sorry for the sweet natured cheetah, like everyone in the precinct his face was a mixture of horror and relief, at least that cruel bunny would never hurt anyone else ever again.

The secret to a good hustle was to corner the victim and make them feel they had a choice in the outcome, that they could control their actions when in reality you were the one pulling the strings all along. Julien had been cornered, either he braved entering one of the most brutal, underfunded and infested prisons or he took the easy way out; either way the sly fox wins and the dumb bunny looses.

He was changing out of his "meter maid" outfit in the locker room when he heard a deep rumbling voice behind him.

-"You had it planned all along didn't you"- Bogo's voice rumbled on the empty space. He had been changing as well, removing his blood soaked uniform and placing it in a forensics' evidence bag. In vain he had tried to save the rabbit's life.

-"I don't know what you are talking about"- Nick said in his most sheepish façade

-"Cut it Wilde! Do you have any idea of what you have done? We had the chance to bring this case to actual justice but you chose to play vigilante!"- If mammals hadn't evolved into civilization Nick could have sworn the buffalo was about to tear him up. A few days ago he would have cowered at the impressive sight but he was an alpha now, alphas don't coward and they certainly don't back down when faced with another aggressive male, not even someone as big as his boss.

-"YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO BRING THIS CASE TO JUSTICE THREE YEARS AGO!"- The small fox towered over the giant buffalo, his voice could have come out of a roaring lion –"We searched through that monster's files remember? Even in his father's computer! And when we did, we discovered that Mau had been trying to prosecute him in the murder of Skipter and she asked for your help but you told her it was best to look for other leads"-

Defeated, Bogo sat down in a bench and rubbed his temple with his hooves, his voice soft and broken. –"You are right Wilde, my superiors gave me orders and I was stupid enough to follow them. I was never the one to question authority and because of that I failed, it doesn't escape my mind that had I acted when all this started your partner would not had been attacked, I won't even delude myself in thinking I am worth her forgiveness"-

Nick responded sourly –"You don't have to, she never blamed you for it. She is a lot like you, eager to please and with a huge respect for authority; she says the she might have done the same if she were in your place."- Somehow he knew his words had hurt Bogo more than any accusation. He also wondered if his carrots had said it so he wouldn't have another powerful mammal on his black list, she was slowly growing aware of how dangerous he could become when truly angry. –"Oh and for the record, I erased all evidence of anything that wasn't strictly illegal. We will have too much work on the actual criminals that helped Lapin, we don't need to worry about a few closeted gays or interspecies"- He threw a knowing glance at his boss.

-"What is it that you want?"- Bogo said lifting an eyebrow, it was impossible for Wilde to have so much leverage on someone and not take advantage of it.

-"For now I want to go home and lay back after a hard day delivering tickets"- He had his typical sly careless mask back on. –"And when my carrots comes back from her leave we will star working in cases again, she is MY partner you know"- A possessive glint ignited his green eyes.

Bogo sighed understanding what he wanted, to never be separated from Hopps and that she under no circumstance was assigned to anyone else, with a sad nod he conceded.

-"Very well Wilde but let me give you a warning, if you stay by her side you will suffer a lot more pain than you can imagine. Believe me when I say I know from experience."-

…..

It had been five days, five days without talking to her or being by her side, five days without smelling her sweet fur or looking at her violet eyes. He had begged her not to contact him in any way until she came back to the city, he explained her he was growing too attached with her and it might be best to get some distance before things got out of control.

Judy had agreed, admitting she was feeling out of sorts as well and that she was worried to get too close to him emotionally. They both wanted to get back to how things were before her attempted rape, to be just buddies solving crimes and working together, before he became possessive and she became dependent of him.

Today he was finishing his last parking ticket for the day, no sane mammal in Zootopia dared to complain or question him as he did his job, not with the predatory fire in his eyes and his increasable aggressive demeanor. Finn had come to chat with the fox and check on his friend from time to time, not even hiding his concern anymore. They barely talked; the smaller fox knew that even a single word could tip his friend over the edge.

Nick realized he should be improving now that the source of his savagery was far from him but instead he was getting worse with every passing minute. Horrible thoughts plagued his mind, from another evil buck attacking Judy to an actual kind and gentle one stealing her heart, it took so much self restraint for him not to go straight to Bunnyburrow and snatch her away.

An hour later he dragged his feet into his dark windowless apartment; his old jaded door opened with a creek, once he got inside the heavenly smell of his carrots assaulted his nostrils. It was fresher than usual, filled with clear country air and dark rich soil.

-"Hey nick"- She said shy

-"Carrots what are you doing here?"- He said expecting her to be a dream or some hallucination.

-"Finn called me, he said you were getting worse and he was worried about you"- Her big concerned purple eyes bore into his.

With deliberately slow graceful steps he walked close to her the same way his ancestors would have closed in on their prey, and gently placed his arms around her, as soon as she hugged him back his cheeks nuzzled with frantic motions to her whole face. He didn't stop until her ears twitched and her fluffy adorable tail shook wildly.

He had marked her again showing everyone else she was his and nobody else's but now that didn't seem enough, slowly, as to show her he would not cause her harm he guided her to his old mattress laid carelessly on the floor. He would not take her clothes off; he knew that the last thing she might want after her ordeal was to have a male remove them. No he simply cuddled by her side, his arms legs and tail wrapped firmly around her, this was not mingling nor a mark, this was an imperative order from his physique to make a full blown imprint. She responded in kind, stroking his back with her incredibly soft paws, her sweet twitching nose over his.

Night came but they couldn't have known while lying in bed in the always dark windowless apartment, not that they would have cared.

But it was up to Judy to try to bring her partner out of whatever trance he had put himself into, she didn't forget her mission was to get the old Nick back, or at the very least a fully functioning version and not this dangerous predator that could ruin his career and personal life.

A serious question needed to be answered, because its implications could be devastating.

-"Nick, what are we?"- She asked puzzled.

With a contented grin he responded –"Dumb fox"- He said putting a paw on his chest –"Sly bunny"- He now placed that paw on her shoulder. Now that she was with him all the aggressiveness that had invaded him melted away, he felt a little more like his old self.

She was relieved a little of her partner's humor had returned to his spirit but this wasn't something they could postpone till later. –"I'm serious Nick, we are supposed to be friends but friends don't go around marking each other all the time. Yet at the same time we never kissed or went beyond hugs, so I ask again what are we?"-

He had been asking himself the same question over and over again since she had left his side, after much pondering he had reached a somewhat acceptable solution to the predicament they had gotten themselves in, he doubted it would work forever but right now it might be the only way out.

-"Platonic, Carrots, that's what we are"- He said with a mixture of peaceful acceptance and sad annoyance.

She sighed after pondering on his answer, what other choice did they have? Marking each other was bound to get attention but unless they mated the scent could easily get hidden and even if someone did notice it would still be obvious they never had intercourse.

Back in the farm she had a very uncomfortable chat with Gideon Grey but he had been very understanding, he told her canides could easily detect signals from pheromones that indicated if a male or female were marked and if they had mated. Apparently when a fox mates with a vixen a strong bond forms between them that is as chemical as emotional, the fox's scents changes forever acquiring some sort of sweet tinge in their natural smell. That in their case had a terrible implication, if they mated even once any other canide (even several felines) could detect it right away and that would mean imprisonment in an asylum.

The most logical and right thing to do would be to just be friends but they had tried that and failed miserably, she had been an emotional wreck when separated from his side and for what Finnik had told her he had it even worse.

His long snout rested on the crook of her neck, his raw long fur felt glorious on her paws and the skin underneath it was surprisingly soft. No, friends would just not do and being lovers was impossible.

-"Platonic huh? Yeah I like that"- She lied.

THE END.


End file.
